The Smoothest Criminals on Earth
by Saharay1
Summary: April Davis has not felt true compassion in two years, that is until she met the Jackson family. Will she finally find the love she thought she lost, or will she forget to love again? Rated T for violence. OC's Kathy and Diana belong to shockinglyawesome.
1. I Hate Floozies

_**The Smoothest Criminals on Earth: Chapter One**_

_**Las Vegas ****-12:30 p.m.**_

_**October 30****th****, 2010**_

"C'mon April, you could at least come to the store with us."

I looked up at my boyfriend, thinking about his offer. I smiled at him, loving the way his rich chocolate eyes twinkled as he asked me. He knew that made him irresistible, but I continued to play coy. I walked over to him and started twirling the curls on his head with my finger.

"Why, just to watch you guys pick out ridiculous outfits you'll only wear once?"

He giggled as he thought of the whole Halloween Trick-or-Treat concept.

"Yes, and so we can spend more time together, you know, outside the house."

I stopped playing with his hair and kissed him silently on his soft, moist lips. I quickly turned around and started walking towards the closet. I knew he was watching my butt, so I walked slower just to toy with him. I reached into the wardrobe and pulled out my old black and red hoodie.

"Okay, but I'm not buying a stupid costume," I said as I started to put it on. "So don't even try it."

"Whatever, let's go. Tito and the others are waiting for us."

He opened the door and we proceeded towards the elevator.

* * *

Once we got to the store, all of the paparazzi were there. I wished that they would all just spontaneously combust. I knew that dating a Jackson was risky, but dang, it wasn't like he was the only celebrity in California. The fans were even worse. I actually had to keep myself from snatching one floozy's hair right off of her head. I thought I would be used to this by now, but it seems that I still need to adjust to it. Once we managed to escape the mob, I walked over with my beau and his brothers to where the costumes were being held. I watched as they began to look and gape over the many corny and cheesy costumes on display. I shook my head at my boyfriend as he pretended to bite my neck after looking intently at a Dracula costume. I laughed at how idiotic he was acting and pushed him over towards his brothers, who were calling him to check out the costumes on the other side of the store.

He reluctantly went, giving me a kiss on the cheek before leaving me alone in the aisle. I smiled as I tried to find a costume for my little brother. Our family never celebrated Halloween, but that did not mean my brother has to miss trick-or-treating like I did. I thought a MJ costume was perfect for him, considering the irony, and picked out a little "Billie Jean" outfit for him to wear. I walked back over to where the teen's costumes were and then I saw it.

It was a small grey hoodie, similar to the one I was wearing. The only difference was that it did not have any pockets. It looked out of place and, for a second, I actually thought it was. I picked up the tag and looked at it for a while before deciding to buy it. I pushed in the left-hand sleeve and pulled the price sticker over the main logo. After I did that, I took that and my brother's costume over to the counter and paid for them. I then took the receipt and threw it into the trash. At that time, my boyfriend and his family came back to my side with bags in their hands.

"Ready to go?" asked Tito

I nodded and pulled my hood over my head before walking out to the limo.


	2. FIRE!

_Now I know what you're thinking, how did I get to become a part of the famous Jackson clan? Well it's a long story, but since you are listening, I'm gonna tell you anyway. Oh, and if at times I sound like a d-bag, just know that I've learned to take life less seriously than others. So just, know you've been warned. Well, it all started on April Fool's Day night, and that night I felt like one._

* * *

It had been a long shift for me. Work was slower than usual, and that meant fewer tips. Worse yet, some idiots got into it with each another and throw a beer bottle at my head. He missed, but a couple ofthe shards of the glass embedded themselves in my back. _Yeah, I work at a bar, but it is not the kind you think of. _I just wanted to fall out across the sofa and sleep for the whole weekend. Too bad, I had to work Friday. I looked at the old, abandoned warehouse my brother and I called home. _Don't feel sorry for me, at least we were living somewhere._ I knew my little brother was going to be mad at me for working so late, but we needed the extra money for clothes and food. I snuck into the window, careful not to alert him by opening the door. To my surprise, he was curled up on the sofa, snoring. But it wasn't the fact that he was lying on the sofa that shocked me, he never snored in his life. I crept closer to Travis (_that's his name)_ so I could put this sight into a mental scrapbook. When I did, however, I noticed that he was wide-awake and wheezing. I immediately rushed to him, worried about what was happening. He saw me with glazed hazel eyes and whimpered.

"April."

I told him not to talk and immediately took my hoodie off. It was at that time I noticed the smoke and the effects it was having on me. I knew I had to do something to keep him from breathing in any more fumes and instantly remembered a survival tip I had learned from the internet _(__Helpful thing to think about at a time like this)_. I took a bottle of water from the bag I had on my back and poured it all on my jacket. It then gave it to my little brother and told him to put it over his nose and mouth. He did what I told him and I carried him in my arms towards the door. And just when I thought that things couldn't get any worse than it was, I remembered that the door was still locked.

I was beginning to panic until I remembered the fire escape in the window I had entered from. I ran to find it, which is a hard thing to do when everything starts blurring together, and managed to get Travis and myself out into of the death trap.

I began to relax as we moved further and further away from the building, but started to freak out as I felt my brother's body go limp in my arms. I looked down and saw that his lips were turning blue. I ran as fast as I could to the UCLA hospital, hoping that they would help me. Little did I know that, in a couple of hours, my life would change forever.


	3. Reunion

I have no idea how long it took for me to get there, but once I managed to get help from the nurses and doctors, it went from being 12 o'clock in the morning to 8:30.

_I fell asleep after the nurses took Travis to the ICU._

I knew I had to call my work so they would know the situation and not dock my pay for the month. Lucky for me, they understood perfectly, they said that I could come back whenever I felt ready. I relaxed after I hung up and took some of the extra money I had to get some food. I laughed at how pitiful I was when I got my sandwich from the cafeteria.

"Look at yourself. You are sitting here stuffing your face while your brother is lying in a hospital bed with all those tubes and needles sticking out of him. What a great sister you are."

I left the café immediately and took my sandwich back into the lobby, where I didn't expect anyone to notice me.

* * *

Michael, Diana, and the rest of the family sat silently in the room. The two parents looked at each other and then at the bouncing black and white image on the screen, smiles on both of their faces.

"He's beautiful," said Diana as she looked up at her wonderful husband.

"Just like you," responded Michael as he kissed his wife on the back of her hand.

"Where is it?" asked Blanket innocently

The nurse giggled at his question and pointed out a big, grayish figure on the video.

"Right here, see, that's his head."

"Wow," he said as he looked at the image carefully. "That's my little brother."

* * *

Back in the lobby, the entire Jackson family was still in awe at the sight they had just seen.

"Yay, I'm not gonna be the youngest anymore." cheered Blanket as he walked down the hall with his brothers and sisters.

"Yep, you are now officially a big brother.," responded Kathy, his adopted sister.

"YAY!"

The Jacksons continued to talk to each other as they sat down to wait for the doctor's readings on how the baby was doing. Diana and Michael sat just a few seats away from me as I kept my head down. I knew I was not supposed to eavesdrop, but I just couldn't resist.

_What! Her face looked familiar and I was curious about what Mike was talking about. That does not make me a bad person. You would have done the same thing!_

Diana was nervous about how the results might be, but Michael quickly reassured her.

"Everything's probably fine. You're just worrying too much."

"I know," she responded. "It's just, well; I don't want what happened to Billy to happen to the baby."

_This caught my attention, so I listened more closely._

Michael sighed as he thought about his late son. "Now you know that his illness wasn't your fault, it was just fate. He would probably still be alive if it wasn't for you-know-who."

I wanted to ask them who they were, as I did not know that was Michael Jackson (_**Shocker, right**?)_, but I was interrupted by the receptionist.

"April Nevada Davis,"

I stood and walked over to the desk. I saw Diana's face drop in astonishment when she heard that. I turned my head away, thinking that I had just imagined it.

The receptionist continued talking once I saw her face to face. "Your brother is going to be okay, but he needs to be observed longer. There was a lot of smoke inhaled in his lungs, and that might have caused some hidden damage to his lungs. He's very lucky to have such a caring sister."

I nodded somberly, still aware of Diana's gaze towards me.

"Thank you."

I moved away from the reception desk and sat back down in my seat. I noticed Diana's expression change to sadness as she slid over to the seat right beside me. I looked up at her face as she looked at mine. I recognized her as one of my father's patients and as a former friend.

"April?"

"Diana?"


	4. Remember The Time

"What are you doing here?" I asked the brown-haired woman in front of me.

"I could ask you the same thing," replied Diana.

"Um… are we missing something?" asked a surprised, and very confused, pop star for the rest of the Jacksons.

Diana looked over to her husband. "I know this girl, Michael. She used to help her father take care of Billy after he was born." She quickly shifted her gaze back to me. "But her dad died two years ago, and I never saw her again."

Her forest-green eyes reflected light as it looked like she tried to fight back tears.

"I thought she was dead."

_Now I know I did not expect that, huh? How do I know Diana, and why did she think I was ... um... pushing daisies? Well, it all started five years ago at the UCLA hospital._

* * *

**UCLA Hospital**** – 9:15 p.m**

**June 10, 2005**

A scream breaks the silence within the maternity ward. It was a frantic rush as the doctors and nurses flew down the halls with a woman in labor. She was breathing in and out hastily, crying out in pain whenever a contraction passed by. She was squeezing the hand of a certain doctor named Marcel Anthony Davis.

"Push, Diana. Don't stop, just push!"

She did what he told her to do, but the pain felt like it was tearing her inside out. She had never felt this kind of pain, not even with the birth of her firstborn, and it was beginning to take its toll.

"It … it's too hard. I need pain relief."

"No, Diana. You are doing fine, just keep pushing."

"No, I can't. It feels like … my insides… are being pulled out."

"Well, they're not. You can handle the …"

His voice trailed off as he felt a crushing pain travel from his arm, all the way up to his shoulder. He could hear his bones cracking as she strangled his hand into a claw-like shape. Her green eyes burned with pain and anger.

_Not a pretty sight to see, folks._

Her breathing became deeper and more rapid as she continued to push. She looked him straight in the eyes and screamed.

"**I NEED MORPHINE**!"

Marcel knew if he did not comply with her demands, his hand would probably be snapped off. He looked at the confused nurses and interns who were still waiting for orders.

"Well, you heard her. Get me twenty-five cc's of morphine, stat!"

_**Three Years Later**_

Diana began to cry as she looked down at her son, Billy. He looked so peaceful, so angelic, as he laid there sleeping. Marcel knew exactly how she felt right now; he knew the pain of hearing that a loved one had cancer. He just never thought he would be the one to say it to anyone.

"I'm really sorry to tell you this. I know it is hard to take in all at once. I had to deal with this kind of cancer before, only I was in your shoes."

Diana looked up at him when he said that, her eyes showing the tracks her tears had created. He pulled a seat beside her and sat down, his curly hair bouncing as he did.

"Your wife? " Marcel just nodded, his throat suddenly becoming dry. "She had CML?"

"The same phase as your son. She was diagnosed six weeks after Travis was born. She died a year later."

Diana felt her heart tug as she thought about the pain he and April went through. She could only think of one thing to say.

"How old was she?"

"28, her birthday was the following week."

Marcel swallowed, thinking that he could push the sorrow and heartache back into the depths of his soul. He succeeded and smiled at the brown-haired mother that sat before him.

"But, don't worry, that won't happen to Billy; not as long as I'm around."

Diana looked at the hopeful doctor and could not help smiling at his confidence. He had the kind of smile that could raise anyone's spirits.

_(**A/N: Just like Michael**)_

It was the last smile she would ever see him give.

* * *

**Monday, June 22, 2008**

Diana looked at the newspaper again, still in disbelief with the news she just heard. The headline on the main page proved it.

_**University Doctor Found Dead in Home; Son and Daughter Still Missing**_

The world-renowned pediatric doctor, Marcel Anthony Davis, was found dead early Sunday afternoon in his Las Vegas home. He was shot twice: one in his left shoulder, another in his chest. The motive and shooter of the homicide are still unknown. He was found by UCLA intern, Henry Jameson, who noticed his absence at an employee luncheon he was to attend. Police also want citizens to be on the lookout for his 15- year- old daughter: April Nevada Davis, and 7- year- old son: Travis Apollo Davis.

If you know any more information or have a tip to give of the children's whereabouts, please call your local authorities.

Diana was shocked. There had to be a mistake, Marcel never made any enemies, and neither had his children.

_Why?_

She began to cry as she thought about his kind, gentle nature.

_Why him?_

She thought about the innocence that showed in the faces of his son and daughter. She sobbed harder as she remembered the fun that they used to share. To them, she was not just another stranger; she was family.

_Why them?_


	5. Who is it, seriously?

"…and to see you here and alive, it's a miracle."

I looked up at Diana and saw the tears falling down her face, making her smile all the brighter. I chuckled when she mentioned 'miracles.'

"I began to almost give up on those."

"Why?" asked Kathy, who had been listening to the whole conversation.

"Let's just say, I got tired of waiting for one." I answered.

I looked past Diana and began to look at her husband. It just so happened to be at the exactly same time the nurse called him up.

"Mr. Jackson?"

Michael stood up and walked over to the counter. He came back about ten seconds later.

"The next ultrasound should be in two weeks, and the baby is looking very healthy,"

"Great," said Diana as she turned around to hear her husband's report. "That's perfect to hear, honey."

"So… first name Michael, last name Jackson right?" I asked.

Michael suddenly tensed up, afraid that he had been discovered by some crazed fan. "Yeah."

_Drum-roll, please._

"Huh, nice little coincidence." Michael sighed with relief.

_False alarm! Gotcha, didn't I?_

* * *

We sat there for a long time until the nurse called me back to tell me what room my brother was assigned. They went with me, mostly because Diana wanted to see Travis again. When we got there, my brother was already up and bored out of his mind. I could tell because he was watching a show he never would in his life, _Tyra_. He lightened up when I walked into the room.

"Gee, sis, what took ya so long?"

"I, um, ran into an old friend of ours." I motioned for Diana to come in, and she did, but not without keeping Michael outside the door. "You remember Diana?"

"Yeah, wow, _whatzupwitu_?"

Diana laughed as she heard him say that. He hadn't changed at all in two years.

"It's been two years, and all you got to say is whatzupwitu? You sure I'm not in the wrong room?"

He stood up and ran over to her, giving her a hug. "I'm positive."

I smiled and, remembering Michael and the rest of the clan, quickly invited them in.

Once Michael came in, his whole expression changed. His hazel eyes twinkled with excitement, his top lip began to twitch, and his usually high voice turned into a squeal. She looked at me, then Diana, then back to me. He was, for the first time in his life, absolutely speechless. I decided to introduce him.

"Bro, this is Diana's husband, Michael."

"Michael Jackson, the Michael Jackson?" he asked in amazement

"Yeah, how did you know his name?"

"How did I …. April, don't you know who this is?"

"Who?"

"Michael Jackson, Mr. Magic himself."

"Huh?" _Ok right now, I'm acting like an idiot._

Travis sighed in frustration as he sees that I'm completely clueless. He looks over towards Mike, who was laughing his head off.

He looked back up at me, rubbing his eyebrows in frustration.

"Two words, Smooth Criminal."

I laughed as I finally figured out who he was talking about. "Boy, that smoke must have affected your vision too. This ain't him, heck, he can barely pass for a MJ imitator."

_I did not know just how wrong I was. _

At this point, my brother started to bite his lip, a thing he did when he got extremely annoyed at someone. Then he had an idea.

"Mr. Jackson, could you please do something for me?"

"Sure," asked Michael. "What is it?"

"Could you please hand me your ID?"

"Ok."

Michael proceeded to look in his back pocket for his wallet, but he could not find it. He looked in all his pockets, but with the same result.

"Now, I could've sworn that I had it."

"Um, you did," said April. "But it fell out on the elevator, so I picked it up."

_Just so you know, that was a bold-faced lie._

"Oh, then you can look at the ID from there." I proceeded to look at the card, and after I checked out all the information, I handed Michael back his wallet and looked over to my brother.

"I hate it when you're right."

My brother grinned like a cheshire cat. "I know I am."

**Ok, thanks for reading. You will know more of April's backstory in next chapter. **

**Also, Read Hidden Secrets by shockingly awesome and Rose Garden **


	6. Everybody's Somebody's Fool

**Sorry about the late updating, and trust me the other waits will be longer. School starts tomorrow so I won't have a lot of time to write. So this might be the last chapter until Labor Day. Read and Enjoy!**

* * *

"So, you are childhood sweethearts huh?"

Diana looked at me, having explained the whole how they met deal, and nodded. I pointed over towards Kathy. "… and you're getting ready to do a show in Vegas."

"Yep, in about 2 more weeks." She responded happily. My brother was looking at her, _and by looking, I mean studying. _I elbowed him in the stomach for him to stop. He looked at me with a fake kind of innocence.

"What?"

"I'll tell you when we get…" My voice trailed off as I remembered what just happened that night. I had almost forgotten about our home. My brother's smile dropped as he realized why I had hesitated. "Where are gonna go, now sis?"

I kept a straight face as I answered the only way I know how:

"I don't know."

"What are you guys talking about?" asked Paris.

"Our house," I explained. "It burned down in a fire, that's what brought us here."

"Wait, so you guys just lived all by yourselves? Alone?" asked a very bewildered pop star. _(You know who)_

"Yeah, and all we have is what's in my bag." I pointed at the black duffel bag I always carried with me. "That's where I put the stuff that valued most to us."

"Maybe you can stay with us," said Blanket honestly. "There's plenty of room."

"He's right, ya know." Michael said agreeing. "You can always stay with us."

_Always the nice guy, which would have made me suspicious, if I didn't know who he was._

"Ok, I suppose we could," I said as I looked at my brother's pleading eyes. "But only until we get back on our feet."

"Alright!"

* * *

We approached the Los Angeles mansion that they were staying. It wasn't a big deal to see it, _my brother and I lived in a pretty big house too_, but it was a break from the eighteen-month poverty we lived in. We approached the door of the mansion; Michael and Diana first, Kathy and the others next, with my brother and I at the end.

I was glad I hesitated in catching up with Diana, because when I looked up at the roof, I saw an ensemble of plastic balls lined up in a row above them. I stopped short of the doorway when I finally remembered what day it was. I looked closer at the balls that were actually balloons being held by Michael's brothers and sisters. I failed to realize that I was standing right in my brother's way until I felt him ram into the back of my bag. I quickly turned around to find him rubbing his forehead.

"Hey," he said to me. "What's the big idea?"

"Shush," I whispered into his ear. "Look up at the roof."

He looked at me curiously before looking at the army of water balloons above the clueless pop star. He knew what was about to happen and proceeded to laugh under his breath. I looked to see who the mastermind was and I got an answer when I saw Janet signal to her siblings.

_One…_

Michael stepped closer to the doorway with Diana wrapped in his arm. All of the other Jackson siblings raised the balloons up higher. (_That's eight chances of getting a direct hit on six people, you do the math people)_.

_Two…_

My brother and I stepped back to avoid the inevitable splash-back. I knew the bodyguards had something to do with it because they were already 2 feet away from where we were.

_Three!_

All of them dropped the liquid-filled bombs that they were holding, each of them hitting their unsuspecting victim. I could just imaging the look on Michael's face as he felt nothing but icy cold water splash on his head. As soon as thye got over the initial shock, he and Diana both looked up at the prime suspect with an obvious fury.

"Dunk!"

Janet just laughed a little harder before saying something into a walkie-talkie. When she did that, I knew immediately that there was something else waiting for them behind the door. My brother, however, did not. _He was too busy laughing his head off at Michael to notice._ Michael saw the communicator too, and decided to use my brother as a perfect prank dummy. Travis hurriedly ran to the soaking wet superstar and said giggling:

"I thought it never rained in sunny California."

Michael showed one of his trademark smiles.

"Ha, ha, ha. Just open the stupid door."

My brother did as he was told; still wearing a stupid grin on his face… that soon got wiped off as he was welcomed by a perfectly-aimed whipped crème pie in the face. Michael laughed at the trap he just narrowhe ly avoided, and he should have. He walked up to my brother and went inside to get a closer look at his face. Michael had broken a record I wanted: to be able to render my brother speechless twice in one day. Travis still stood there with his mouth open, globs of whipped crème falling down from his chin onto the step. I was the one rolling on the floor this time. I had just begun to catch my breath again when I heard a vaguely familiar voice call my name. I looked up at the doorway and I saw the person who so graciously pied my baby bro. I smiled as I recognized her instantly.

"Kai!"

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed that chapter. I did reveal a secret, but I'll go into detail about it later. Nice seeing the Joker being pranked, aint it? Please Read and Review.**

**Plus, a shout out to my chicas, Shockinglyawesome and Jonasjacksonheart. Love ya!**


	7. Give in to Me, Part One

**Hey you guys, this is part dream sequence, part story. So every thought April has is in parenthesis (), Ok? and the Dream is in Third-Person. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

After everyone get dry and de-pied, we all sat down in the main room in the house. Michael and Diana introduced me to Jackie _(Siggy_)_,_ Jermaine (_The Greasy One), _Marlon, Tito, Randy, Rebbie, Latoya _(Toy-toy), and _Janet. They were able to explain the whole no home, no family situation to them so they welcomed me with open arms. But then the time came for when I had to explain how I knew Kai.

"My mother, Jessica, used to teach at Le Cordon Bleu when I first met Kai. My mother used to teach me along with the class. We became friends ever since."

"…But even though she was only 4, she could cook just as good as Mrs. Davis." Kai promptly added. I glared at her when she said that last comment. "Well, not _that_ good."

"Yeah, Mom was like Gordan Ramsey and Racheal Ray all at once. Totally awesome!" I sighed as I remembered. It was a tough time after she died, and I didn't want to go into detail about it or submit to anyone's pity, so I changed the subject.

"Oh, and by the way, nice aim!"

She laughed as she remembered the look on Travis's face after he got pied. We both looked at my little bro, who was in a trance from looking at Janet. I could tell because he was humming **_Loving You _**by Minnie Riperton. (_You know**; Lovin' you is easy 'cause your beautiful**; that one). _I rolled my eyes at him before I snapped him out of it with at poke in the ribs. I could tell as long as "Dunk" was there, he will be in another world.

Dinner came and went, but not without my brother asking both Janet and Kathy out.(_He got shot down both times, but you can't blame him for trying, right?) _I was getting tired, so I decided to ask Michael where I could turn in for the night. He showed me my room and my brother slept in the one beside me. It took me a good half- hour to get used to sleeping on a bed again, since I let Travis sleep on the only bed we had and slept on the floor, but somehow I managed to doze off.

* * *

_April awoke to find herself in a familiar place, a laboratory, **her father's** laboratory. She looked around and saw that everything was exactly the way they were before. The beakers were bubbling on the hot plates, the lab rats were scurrying in their cages, and there was a figure working diligently with the test tubes. She tried to step forward, but was blocked by something invisible in her path. She tried agin and again to break the force field, but it still held. April was about to hit it one last time when she heard something._

_CLICK!_

_She knew that sound all too well, and the father figure backing up against the counter with a terrifed look on its face. She tried to see the shotter she knew that was there, but all she saw was its hand. She could not watch this again, she bowed her head as the gunshot resounded. But then she felt a pain in her chest, and looked up. The barrel of the gun was right in front of her face, and was cocked as the shooter began to pull the trigger._

* * *

_**Sorry about the cliffhanger. Tomorrow is the continuation.**_


	8. Give in to Me, Part Two: Smile

I woke to a start. I looked around the room, just to make sure that I wasn't dreaming anymore. The pillow was wet from sweat and tears. I had to take a few deep breaths in and out to calm down. I turned on the lamp that was on the dresser near my bed and looked at my watch. It said it was a quarter after five, so I decided to get up and go down stairs. I knew no one was going to be down there except Kai (she had told me her schedule earlier), so I figured I could help her out with breakfast.

I walked to the kitchen and saw that she had not arrived yet. I was going to sit and wait for her, but then I saw something that caught my eye. In the room right across the hallway, there was a baby grand piano. I walked into the piano room and looked at it. Its keys glistened in the light of the dawn, and its frame cast a mysterious shadow on the hardwood floor. On the stand were a few pages of music, neatly arranged across its wooden frame. I assumed Michael had left it there by accident while he was singing to Diana. (_A daily thing that they do while they relax)_. I sat down on the piano's plush leather seat and curved my fingers over the keys, like my dad told me. I looked up at the row of sheet music and saw if I could be able to play it. I smiled as I saw the title. It was the first song my father had every taught me to learn on the piano, and it was his favorite. I closed my eyes and imagined that he was sitting right beside me as he always did when he taught me, humming the melody to help me get on the right key. I took a breath and then began to play.

* * *

**Diana's POV**

I woke up sore, a usual occurrence every morning. The time said it was about 5:50 in the morning, so I figured to stay up and go downstairs and help Kai. (_Great minds think alike, huh?_) I was careful not to wake Michael when I got up, but then again, a freight train of elephants wouldn't faze him while he was sleeping. I was beginning to go down the steps when I began to hear the most beautiful piano music I had ever heard.

I figured Michael had left a classical CD in the player from last night, but when I went to look, there was nothing there. The music still continued to play and it sounded like it was coming from the kitchen. I walked towards there to find April sitting at the piano in the music room. She had her eyes closed as she played the melody to the song, humming as she went along. I was amazed by how good she was, I had never seen this style of talent from her. I quietly listened to what she was playing, and then she began to sing.

_Smile, though your heart is aching_

_Smile, even though it's breaking_

_When there are clouds in the sky_

_You'll get by._

_If you smile, with your fear and sorrow_

_Smile, and maybe tomorrow,_

_You'll see the sun com shining through_

_For you._

She sung with a voice similar to Michael and Janet's whenever they sung that song. I knew that she not only sung it, but she felt it in her heart. Before I even knew it, I began to sing along with her.

_Light up your face with gladness_

_Hide every trace of sadness_

_Although a tear may be every so near_

_That's the time you must keep on trying_

_Smile, what's the use of crying?_

_You'll find that life is still worthwhile_

_If you just_

_Smile._

She continued to play the final notes of the song before she opened her eyes and looked up from the piano. Her face was stained with tracks from where her tears had fallen from her eyes. She was surprised to see me there and quickly got up from the seat. She began to apologize.

"I… I'm… I'm sorry. I… didn't mean to wake you."

"Relax," I assured her as I sat down on the bench, encouraging her to sit beside me.. "You didn't wake me up. The baby already had that covered." She sat down and sighed with relief.

"You have a beautiful voice." I added.

"Thanks, but I think yours is better than mine."

I just laughed at what she said. "Trust me, yours is better."

She laughed along with me. "Ok." Her smile quickly faded as she looked back at the song she just played. She looked back at me with pleading eyes, the remaining tears welled up in her brown eyes. Her voice faded to a whisper as she spoke.

"Please don't be mad at my dad."

I looked back at her with shock. Mad at her dad, what? I was at a total loss for words. She must have taken my shock as a fear of being found out, and she continued.

"Because, you know, it wasn't his fault he was killed. It just happened. He had even found a cure."

"A cure?" I asked, shocked to hear that Marcel had found a cure for CML.

"Mm-hmm. He was going to give it to you the next day. So please, just please, don't blame him for Billy."

I began to cry as I realized that she believed I held her father responsible for Billy's death. I hugged April and consoled her as she sobbed on my shoulder. I thought it was best to tell her the whole story.

"Shh, it's alright. I'm not mad at your dad, I never was."

I then began to tell her about what happened to Billy. I told her about when Kathy came and sang to him and how Murray had poisoned him. I could tell she was shocked by the news and she continued to cry harder. I cried along with her and that night, I believe, we truly became family.

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***Breaks down crying* I'm sorry, but it's just so touching. If you are as touched as I am, please read and review. *continues to cry***


	9. Why You Wanna Trip On Me

***Sniffle* Ok now that I've gotten over the weekend long cry-fest I had from the last chapter, time for some comedy, and a little danger.**

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_I don't remember how long it was until I realized that that was the first time I ever truly cried in a year. I was shocked I had kept my feelings in for that long, oh well, fast forward to after breakfast._

After putting on something decent, I looked in my bag and grabbed one of my most prized possessions, a custom made Rebel archery bow. I carried it everywhere with me, even to work. I started to look outside, imaging a target range outside. I raised the bow up to my shoulder and closed my right eye for accuracy. I pulled the string back, holding an imaginary arrow with my fingertips. I lined it up with the center of the target and was preparing to pull back when …

"April!"

The outburst startled me and caused me to release the bowstring with a lot of force, making it snap back and hit me square across the nose. Reflexively, I put both of my hands up to cover the stinging body part. _Yeah, I know, ow!_ I turned around to see who to kill for scaring the bejesus out of me, and relaxed when I recognized it was Michael. He looked shocked to see me, or more likely, what was in my hand. I quickly put the bow down as I waved him in. He looked at me, then at the bow, then back at me. It took a good 2 minutes before he said something.

"What is that?"

"A bow?" said I, not quite knowing what he was asking.

"Yeah, I know that, but what is it doing in here?"

"It was in my bag, I always carry it," I noticed the worried look on his face as he glanced over at the bag. "Don't worry, I don't have any arrows."

I saw him relax after I said that. He walked over to the bed and looked at it more intently. He eyes darted as he took in the delicate artistry of the riser. He looked back up at me with a more amused look on his face.

"So, why do you carry it around?"

I felt a lump in my throat as he asked. I sighed, twirling my hair with my finger.

"It was the last present Mother ever gave me. I had just made the archery team in high school, so she gave me that so I could practice."

"Oh…," He looked back down and snapped his head up again. "Wait, weren't you only…"

"Nine?" I said completing his sentence. He nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I skipped five grades, and also graduated before I was even a teen. I don't know how, but I think it is just a combination of gifts and a knack for test taking."** (A/N: Awkward!)**

He looked at me with wide eyes. I guessed all of that information from an 18 year old would be kind of shocking. He snapped himself out of it as he looked back at the bow and changed the subject.

"So, how did you do, in the archery tournament?"

I blushed a little as I remembered my past life.

"Ok, I guess. We won." I looked at the window, not wanting to go any further in this awkward conversation. "Um, did you come up here for something?"

"Oh, yeah. Diana wanted you."

"Ok, I'm coming down." And he left, leaving me to put my bow back in my bag.

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I came down to see my brother and all of the Jacksons sitting around the main room, discussing whatever. _(I didn't really pay that much attention to it.)_ I sat near Travis as he was telling Michael that I could describe his personality. Michael laughed as he shook his head.

"Bet she can't."

Me, being one not to back down from a challenge, took him on.

"Alright Michael; you're kooky, fun, kind, sweet, a perfectionist, (He nodded as he heard all of these before), a tad impatient, a little shy, (he blushed), and deceivingly… vain." The rest of the Jackson clan burst out laughing when I said he was vain. Michael, on the other hand, looked like I had just slapped him.

"I'm what!"

"Vain. Michael, you can't take five steps into a room without noticing some portrait or picture of you"

"I. Am. Not. Vain." He said in a somewhat serious, but giggly voice.

'Yeah you are.' (Everyone backed me up)

Michael looked super shocked at the fact that everyone agreed with me, even Diana. "Oh, so that's what all of you think, huh?" he asked in a very defensive way.

Janet answered this by patting him on the shoulder and shook her head.

"Michael, we don't think, we know."

Michael just folded his arms and pouted, like a seven year old who was told that he couldn't have his favorite candy.

"I'm not vain" he mumbled.

I just shrugged my shoulders and looked towards Tito, who was sitting with his sons; Taj, Tarryl, and TJ.

Taj just smiled at me and I smiled back. I looked back at Michael, who was still pouting.

"Whatever you say, apple head."

"What!"

"Nothing."

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Later that night, Michael looked into the mirror and turned to his ever loving, ever honest wife and said:

"My head doesn't look like an apple, does it?"

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**Please Read and Review**


	10. Author

**Author's Note**

The chapter "Jam Session" has been updated with a new song. Please go back and look at it whenever you find time.

Thanks, Saharay1 *Rawr*


	11. Jam Session

**Hey, you guys. Sorry in advance for such the short chappie, but I've been really short on time. All song credits go to All-4-One. Hope you guys enjoy and review!**

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_Anyway, back to this morning_

Diana looked over towards me and smiled. I knew she was going to tell Michael about my singing sooner or later, so I just got up and started moving over to the door. Once I took a step, the doorbell began to ring. I didn't think about who it might be when I opened it, and was met with the appearance of Mrs. Katherine and Joseph. I stepped back both shock and respect, letting them come in.

I took a nice long look at the patriarch of the family. He looked stern, but then again, looks are not everything. I politely smiled as they walked in, not failing to notice the tension between father and son. I always saw them as two opposing forces, with only one common balence, Katherine. She was the person the both feared and loved, so I made it my goal to befriend her as quickly as 's eyes lit up when he saw his mother, and quickly dulled again when he saw his father, faking a smile out of respect.

"Michael."

"Joseph."

Joseph responded with a grin and turned back towards me.

"Who's the girl?"

I was about to answer him when Diana interrupted. "She's an old friend of mine along with her brother. They're gonna stay with us for a while."

Joseph looked at Travis and back at me and shrugged his shoulders. He and Katherine both greeted us. Michael let out a sigh of relief and proceeded to continue the conversation.

"So, Diana, you said you wanted to tell me something?"

"Oh, yeah. You and Janet might have some competition." Diana looked over towards me with a smile.

"Oh, really?" Michael responded. "Well, let's just see how good she really is."

My brother, at this point was laughing and taunting like all little annoying siblings do.

"Ha, Ha! You got to sing!"

I smiled at this. "Oh, yeah, well, get ready to laugh harder, 'because you're singing with me!"

"What, "Travis said as I pulled him over to where I was. I sat at the piano that was in the room and began to play the notes to the song. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and sang.

_When I'm lost in the rain_  
_In your eyes I know I'll find the  
light t__o light my way,  
when I'm scared, losing ground_  
_When my world is going crazy  
you can turn it all around_

My brother joined me on the song, once he figured out what I was singing.

_And when I'm down you're there pushing me to the top (Girl)  
You're always there giving me all you've got_

_(_Travis) _For a shield from the storm,  
for a friend, for a love_  
_To keep me safe and warm,  
I turn to you_

_(_April)_For the strength to be strong,  
for the will to carry on  
_  
_(_Travis) _For everything you do_  
___(_April_) for everything that's true  
__(_Both) _I turn to you_

_(_Travis) _When I lose the will to win_  
_I just reach for you  
and I can reach the sky again_  
_I can do anything  
'cause your love is so amazing_

(April)_ 'Cause your love inspires me_  
_And when I need a friend  
you're always on my side_  
_Giving me faith taking me through the night  
_

_(_Travis) _For a shield from the storm,  
for a friend, for a love_  
_To keep me safe and warm,  
I turn to you_

_(_April)_For the strength to be strong,  
for the will to carry on  
_  
_(_Travis) _For everything you do_  
___(_April_) for everything that's true  
__(_Both) _I turn to you_

(Travis)_For the arms to be my shelter  
through all the rain_

(April)_For truth that will never change  
__(for someone to lean on)_

(Both)_But for a heart I can rely on through anything_  
_For the one who  
I can run to oh_

(Travis) _For a shield from the storm,  
for a friend, for a love_  
_To keep me safe and warm,  
I turn to you_

_(_April)_For the strength to be strong,  
for the will to carry on  
_  
_(_Travis) _For everything you do_  
___(_April_) for everything that's true_

(Both) _For everything you do_  
_ for everything that's true_

_I turn to you_

_

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**For those who have not heard this song by them, you might have heard it sung by Christina Aguilera. It is one of my favorites and also helps me get through a hard day. Read and Review!**


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